Paintings with earth tones or neutral tones are often characterized by their warm and natural hues.
These colours are typically inspired by the natural world and can include shades of brown, beige, cream, gray and green. Earth tones are often used to create a sense of calmness and tranquility in a painting, while neutral tones can be used to create a sense of balance and harmony.
Earth-tone colour palettes have sometimes been given an unfair reputation of being drab, uninteresting, and monotonous, however, when they are done well, these palettes can have fantastic contrast and visual interest.
Traditionally, earth colours encompass browns and tans that resemble soil or tree bark. This includes colours such as khaki, wheat, espresso, beige, mushroom, auburn, caramel, and chocolate. Earth tones are much more versatile, however, and also contain colours commonly found in nature for instance greens such as sage or leaf greens; oranges such as rust, burnt sienna, and terracotta; blues such as navy or sky blue; and yellows such as mustard, honey, or turmeric and many more.